Chappy

Chappy B, a big and fluffy Saint Bernard/Husky mix, was found on the streets of Texas with a severe front limb injury. This would have rendered him completely defenseless in the event of a dog fight, and he had no chance of a good outcome in the local pound. We were very anxious to get Chappy to safety at HUA. We loved him before we ever met him and this deliriously happy boy’s sparkling personality made us fall even harder for him.<br/><br/>Several specialists agreed that an amputation would not correct Chappy’s strange gate, and it would be a huge operation with a long and difficult recovery. We decided that we would first try to get a custom-built brace in the hopes that it would even out his shoulders, making walking easier for this big boy. We also wanted to avoid any further injury by allowing him space to move freely so Chappy’s play time was limited. He didn’t care about that. All Chappy ever cared about was time spent with his human friends.<br/><br/>It was decided that Chappy, along with one of his favorite HUA humans, would travel directly to the source. Our wonderful friends with PilotsNPaws flew Chappy to Bionic Pets in Sterling, VA. Bionic Pets offers orthotic and prosthetic devices for all sorts of animals. The company is led by Derrick Campana, with whom Chappy fell head over heels in love. He was also smitten with Derrick’s little poodle named Henry. After a week of redesigns and custom fittings for Chappy’s new leg brace, we finally had to admit that this avenue was not working. Chappy was exhausted by his big adventure and although he had a lot of fun meeting many new humans and being treated like royalty by the hotel staff, it was time for him to go back home to HUA.<br/><br/>As hard as Chappy had tried, and as cooperative and patient he had been, a total of four different prosthetic designs failed to do for him what we had hoped. A custom designed cart was next up, but Chappy is done with all of this muss and fuss. He is afraid of the cart and he just wants to be wild and carefree, so that is how he is living his life these days. He loves people of all shapes and sizes and he is one seriously happy dog. Everyone who meets Chappy loves Chappy. Although he should not go for long walks, he is leash trained and loves being in the big yards. No cats for Chappy, and although he is okay with other dogs, they make him rather nervous so he would need to be the only canine citizen in his house. While we have no idea what is in store for Chappy’s ability to walk going forward, the person who brings this special boy home is bound to feel very lucky to have found him.<br/><br/>Visit Chappy at www.hua.org!

Chappy B, a big and fluffy Saint Bernard/Husky mix, was found on the streets of Texas with a severe front limb injury. This would have rendered him completely defenseless in the event of a dog fight, and he had no chance of a good outcome in the local pound. We were very anxious to get Chappy to safety at HUA. We loved him before we ever met him and this deliriously happy boy’s sparkling personality made us fall even harder for him.

Several specialists agreed that an amputation would not correct Chappy’s strange gate, and it would be a huge operation with a long and difficult recovery. We decided that we would first try to get a custom-built brace in the hopes that it would even out his shoulders, making walking easier for this big boy. We also wanted to avoid any further injury by allowing him space to move freely so Chappy’s play time was limited. He didn’t care about that. All Chappy ever cared about was time spent with his human friends.

It was decided that Chappy, along with one of his favorite HUA hum

Chappy B, a big and fluffy Saint Bernard/Husky mix, was found on the streets of Texas with a severe front limb injury. This would have rendered him completely defenseless in the event of a dog fight, and he had no chance of a good outcome in the local pound. We were very anxious to get Chappy to safety at HUA. We loved him before we ever met him and this deliriously happy boy’s sparkling personality made us fall even harder for him.

Several specialists agreed that an amputation would not correct Chappy’s strange gate, and it would be a huge operation with a long and difficult recovery. We decided that we would first try to get a custom-built brace in the hopes that it would even out his shoulders, making walking easier for this big boy. We also wanted to avoid any further injury by allowing him space to move freely so Chappy’s play time was limited. He didn’t care about that. All Chappy ever cared about was time spent with his human friends.

It was decided that Chappy, along with one of his favorite HUA humans, would travel directly to the source. Our wonderful friends with PilotsNPaws flew Chappy to Bionic Pets in Sterling, VA. Bionic Pets offers orthotic and prosthetic devices for all sorts of animals. The company is led by Derrick Campana, with whom Chappy fell head over heels in love. He was also smitten with Derrick’s little poodle named Henry. After a week of redesigns and custom fittings for